Monza: Peugeot qualifying report

The first outing for the all-new Peugeot 908 HDi FAP has got off to a promising start, with
both cars dominating the front row of the grid for the Monza 1000kms that takes place
tomorrow (Sunday 15 April). Nicolas Minassian claimed an excellent...

The first outing for the all-new Peugeot 908 HDi FAP has got off to a promising start, with
both cars dominating the front row of the grid for the Monza 1000kms that takes place
tomorrow (Sunday 15 April). Nicolas Minassian claimed an excellent pole position ahead
of the other Peugeot 908 HDi FAP, driven by Stephane Sarrazin. Team Peugeot Total
took full advantage of the free practice sessions on Friday and Saturday morning to build
up to this qualifying result, encountering only a gearshift command problem on car n°7. So
far Monza has underlined the performance of the new car, seen for the first time at the
official Le Mans Series test at Paul Ricard, but this weekend's key objective is continue the
durability work carried out to date. Spaniard Marc Gené will start the race from pole
tomorrow in the n°7 car, while Portuguese driver Pedro Lamy will take the wheel of car
n°8. As required by the rules, both cars will take tomorrow's 1300 start on the tyres used
for qualifying today.

Nicolas Minassian: " This pole position is a great reward for the whole team, which has
worked so hard from the start. We have continually been refining the set-up and handling
of the car since Friday morning, always heading in the right direction. I set off quite late for
my qualifying run, in order to avoid a dirty track and find a good gap in the traffic. I had to
push really hard to set a time quicker than that of Stéphane Sarrazin who is my team
mate but also my key rival. "

Stéphane Sarrazin : " I had a fantastic car but we didn't anticipate the traffic well. I only
got one clear lap, but we still managed to get onto the front row and it's a very long race
ahead... "

Bruno Famin (Technical Director): " The outcome of these first two days has been
extremely positive, with no major problems apart from the gearshift command glitch on car
n°7 which was quickly resolved. We've managed to work through our entire test
programme, which has added greatly to our knowledge of the car. Now we just have to
keep going for the next 1000 kilometres... "